Old Cassettes and Cigarettes
by Brand New Fashion
Summary: Avery didn't realize what she was getting herself into when she agreed to go on tour across the country with some of her best friends. The summer was supposed to be filled with late nights, sun burns, great music, and new friends. What she got out of it was a bunch of drama, a black eye, a friend with a bruised ego, and a heart that was being pulled in two different directions.
1. Prologue

"Kyle, please open up."

Avery Hayes brought her clenched fist to the closed door in front of her and weakly pounded on it a few times. Droplets of water rolled down from her tangled hair and got in her bright green eyes, clouding her vision for a few seconds. She blinked hard and glanced over her shoulder before she sighed heavily and pounded on the door again.

"Kyle," she whined, knocking harder this time. He was probably sleeping. Avery chewed on her bottom lip as she mulled over the thoughts of waking him up. Kyle was always cranky whenever anyone woke him up and Avery began bracing herself for what was going to greet her on the other side of the door.

More droplets of water splashed onto the back of her neck, sending chills running up and down her spine. It had stopped raining a while ago but she was soaked to the bone and shivering from the cool air. She could hear the water in the gutter drain a few feet away, gurgling as the rain came spilling out of it and into the grass to her right.

A drop of water splashed onto her nose and she looked upwards as another one splashed onto her cheek. Avery groaned as more water dripped from the leaky overhang onto her face. She took a step closer to the door and pounded on it a few more times before she gave up and decided to pull out her cell phone.

The screen was smeared with the water that soaked through her jean pockets. She hastily wiped it away and dialed her best friend's familiar phone number. It was almost like a reflex, her fingers just glided over the worn-out keypad. She has dialed the same number since she and Kyle were fourteen and he got his first cell phone.

It rang three times before he picked up and groaned into the mouthpiece.

"Hello?" fatigue laced his raspy voice and Avery instantly felt guilty for waking him up.

"Kyle, can you please open the door?" she asked quietly, trying not to sound too irritated with him for leaving it locked. He knew that it was a habit for either of them to walk into each other's houses unannounced.

"Huh?" he replied, sighing heavily.

"Open the door," she said firmly. She was beginning to lose her patience. Her hands and knees were trembling from her low body temperature and her teeth chattered against each other violently. The leaky overhang was still dripping, but on the back of her neck now. The heaviness of her soaked clothes was beginning to weigh her down and Avery hunched forward, leaning her forehead against Kyle's front door.

"What?" he asked, much louder this time.

"Ky-le," she whined, pounding her left hand on the door.

"Avery, what the fuck are you doing?" Kyle asked, clearly annoyed. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. She heard his feet thud against his bedroom floor and he stomped out into the hallway before he snapped his phone shut.

Avery stood up straight and clutched her phone in her right hand, bracing herself. The droplet of water that rolled down her face this time was a tear and she wiped it away with the back of her trembling hand just as the door in front of her whipped open.

Her best friend stood in his doorway, arms folded across his chest and a scowl on his face. The bright blonde mop of hair on his head stuck out in all directions and there were red imprints on his cheek from his pillow.

"I saw you like...three hours ago. What could you possibly want?" he asked, roughly rubbing his eyes with the tips of his fingers.

Avery sniffed quietly and wiped another tear off of her cheek.

"Can I please come in? I need to talk to you," she said in a loud whisper. It was the best she could do while trying to keep her teeth from chattering again.

The irritated look on Kyle's face melted into one of concern and he nodded slowly as he opened the door wider for her.

Avery slowly made her way inside Kyle's messy one-bedroom apartment and let more tears fall from her eyes as Kyle snapped on the living room light.

He didn't say anything as he shut the door behind her and grabbed her cold hand. He dragged her down the hallway to his bedroom and she waited by the door as he grabbed some dry clothes from his unpacked suitcases. They lined the far wall of his bedroom, taking up most of the extra floor space.

Kyle walked back over to her and placed the pajama pants, t-shirt, and hoodie into her arms as he kissed her forehead. Avery slowly turned around and shuffled to the bathroom to change.

Once she was in her favorite pair of Kyle's pajama pants and one of his many hoodies, she walked into the living room to find him anxiously sitting on the edge of the couch. Avery plopped herself down on the cushion next to him as he looked at her, concern etched in his expression.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked quietly as she continued to wipe tears from her eyes.

Avery smiled slightly and hugged her knees to her chest. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and Kyle just waited for her to speak first. He knew she didn't like to be prodded for information when she was upset.

"I think I messed things up pretty bad this time."

"Alex?"

"Sort of," Avery whispered, resting her chin on her knees.

"Alex and Caleb?"

Avery bit the inside of her cheek and tried her best to nod her head. When Kyle mentioned both of their names, her stomach dropped and she felt as if she were going to start bawling again.

"Will you explain everything that happened to me? I mean, I know what happened with Caleb because he told me when everything went down, but I don't know your side of the story..."

Avery let out a loud sigh and snuggled further into the couch cushions as Kyle brought his knees to his chest and turned to face her.

"Promise you won't hate me after you know everything?"

"I promise," Kyle whispered, honestly answering Avery's question. "Just start from the beginning for me."


	2. One

It was an abnormally cool night in the small town of Rowlett, Texas. The air was thick with a dense chill that crept silently across the slick streets of the town. Avery Hayes watched carefully as the main road in front of her buzzed with speeding cars and flashing lights. Everything seemed to blur together in her head as she tried to keep her heavy eyelids open.

Fatigue was weighing down on her tiny frame and taking over her sleepy thoughts until she felt a sudden jolt of energy surge through her body.

A slim beam of light sneaked across the slippery pavement in front of her, catching her attention. The light bounced off her bright green eyes for a fraction of a second until it came to rest a foot beside her.

A pair of heavy footsteps sounded off in the empty parking lot, drowning out the rest of the traffic buzz.

Avery brought her tired eyes up to the tall figure that was making its way over to her. A pool of warm brown made contact with bright green for a second before he nodded, acknowledging her, and broke the gaze. Avery heaved a heavy sigh and closed her eyes as he walked past her and through the automatic sliding doors of the 24 hour convenient store behind her.

She lightly tapped her foot on the pitch black pavement underneath her as the surge of energy started leaving her body. Very slowly, she reached to her side and stuck her hand in the plastic bag sitting on the curb by her leg. She pulled out a brand new pack of cigarettes and smiled as she hastily tore the plastic off the carton, then opened the cardboard container and pulled out a cigarette.

Before she could press her lifesaver to her lips, she felt a light tap on her shoulder and her eyes traveled to her other side where her gaze was met by those copper-brown eyes.

"Can I borrow a buck fifty?"

Avery sighed and shifted her weight so she could rummage in her back pocket for some money. She pushed a five dollar bill into his waiting hand and he thanked her then went back inside the store.

A minute later, she was joined on the curb by the same guy.

Avery was only slightly irritated, but was too tired to be bothered by his presence.

"Do you have a light?"

"Jeez Caleb, do I look like a free-for-all vending machine?"

She took a long drag off of her cigarette before she thrust her lighter into the boy's hands. He smirked at her and lit his own cigarette before he gave her the change from his purchase in the drug store.

"Since when do you smoke?" he asked, exhaling heavily. Smoke flew out of his mouth and hung in the heavy air before it was lightly tossed away by a cool breeze.

"Since I've been extremely stressed out," Avery answered her friend's question.

Avery lightly closed her eyes, thinking about the way her day had went, and nearly dropped her cigarette onto the wet pavement. Caleb smirked slightly but turned his head to the side as he continued to devour his own cigarette.

The two were quiet for a while as the cars buzzed by on the road in front of them, stirring up the cool air. After a while, Avery could feel herself slipping off to sleep in the position she was in. She shifted her weight again so she could stay awake and she dropped her cigarette to the ground, then stamped it out.

Caleb did the same and sighed heavily.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Avery turned and peered at her friend of seven years through the bright blonde hair that hung in front of her face.

"Am I ever ready for any of this shit?"

A small smile made its way onto Caleb's face and he shrugged at her.

"No," he answered quietly. "But I thought I'd ask."

Another quiet moment blanketed the air between the two as they watched the cars passing by on the main road. A light breeze blew around them, playing with Caleb's messy red hair.

Avery watched as he pushed it aside with his fingers, then he sighed again.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Avery asked quietly. She pinched the material of the bag beside her between her fingers as she waited for an answer.

Caleb sighed and turned to look at Avery with tired eyes. She smiled slightly at his expression and nodded in understanding.

She knew him all too well.

The two didn't talk to, or see each other all the time but they were good enough friends to know everything about the other.

Caleb had trouble sleeping for as long as Avery could remember. Sometimes, he would call her in the middle of the night and wake her up just to tell her that he couldn't sleep.

"How'd you get here?" Caleb asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

Avery shrugged and gazed toward the exit of the parking lot.

"I walked here," she replied.

Caleb heaved a heavy sigh and slowly got off of the curb. He stood in front of the girl and offered her his hand. She rolled her eyes, grabbed her bag, and took hold of his calloused fingers. The touch of his rough skin sent goosebumps racing up her bare arms and Avery shivered as he pulled her off of the curb and towards his car.

"Caleb," she said quietly, taking her hand out of his tight grasp. He paused and turned to look into her eyes. "Leslie is pissed at me for leaving her for the summer. We got in a huge fight this morning."

Caleb's lips pouted in a small frown as he leaned against the hood of his car. He knew Leslie, Avery's roommate, had been giving her a hard time about everything lately. Leslie was never really an easy person to deal with.

"Do you want me to take you home?"

Avery shook her head, sending her bangs flying all over her face. The bright blonde locks of hair covered her eyes and Caleb pushed them away so he could see her eyes.

"Where's all of your stuff?"

"Over at Kyle's. I figured he wouldn't mind lugging it all to the bus."

Caleb nodded and stood up straight. He opened the passenger door for Avery and guided her into the car, then shut the door behind her once she was settled in her seat.

As soon as he was in the driver's seat, Caleb reached for his cell phone that was sitting on the dashboard.

Avery watched as Caleb's fingers danced across the tiny keys on his phone's keypad. She recognized the number that showed up on the screen just before Caleb pressed the phone to his ear.

As Caleb talked to their friend Kyle, Avery looked out the foggy car window at the busy street beside them. She was beginning to shiver from the cold night air and the goosebumps on her arms were getting considerably larger.

She shuddered in surprise when the engine of Caleb's car roared, breaking the silence in the car after his phone call ended. She smiled as Caleb cranked up the heat and pulled out of the deserted parking lot.

"I'm warning you now," Caleb said quietly, his voice a little raspy from being so tired. "My room is a mess."

Avery let out a quiet laugh as she played with the vents on the dashboard in front of her. The warm air flowing out of them was beginning to warm her up and the goosebumps were slowly disappearing.

The short car ride was quiet. Caleb turned down the stereo that was blaring Avery's favorite Something Corporate CD. She smiled as the sweet sounds of Andrew McMahon's voice quietly flooded through the speakers.

When Caleb pulled up to his tiny apartment complex, Avery sighed and lifted her tired body out of his car as he walked ahead of her to unlock the main entrance door. He helped her up the short flight of stairs and to his apartment door. It took him a while to get it unlocked but once the door was open, he guided Avery inside and turned the dim living room lights on.

Avery raised her eyebrows at the scene in front of her. There were clothes of every sort littering every surface imaginable and Caleb sighed as he pushed her towards his bedroom.

"You're not done packing yet?" Avery asked as she plopped down on Caleb's bed and kicked off her shoes. They landed on a pile of shirts that were neatly folded and the pile toppled over, littering the floor. Caleb rolled his eyes and kicked off his shoes, then left the room to turn off the lights in the living room.

As he walked back into the bedroom, he walked over to the pile of shirts and tossed them into an empty suitcase that was sitting on an old dresser against the wall.

"No, I'm not done packing."

"Why not?" Avery asked, pulling back the covers on Caleb's bed and crawling underneath them. She sighed inwardly as the heavy comforter warmed up her body and upped the fatigue level wearing her down.

"I couldn't figure out what to pack."

"Caleb," she laughed, lightly closing her eyes. "It's not like it's your first tour. You should know what you need by now."

Caleb turned away from the suitcase and looked at Avery. Her head was resting against his favorite pillow and he narrowed his eyes at her but the expression slowly melted away as she took a deep breath and rolled over onto her side, hugging his blanket closer to her body.

"I know," he said quietly. "But we're on a tour bus this time, not in an old van."

A small smile spread across Avery's pale pink lips and she let out a quiet laugh.

"Don't worry about it," she said between a few yawns. "Just go to bed and finish packing in the morning."

"We leave at twelve, though!" Caleb exclaimed, walking over to the bed. He sat down at Avery's feet and playfully pinched the skin on her leg beneath the covers. She giggled and brought her legs closer to her body as she opened her eyes.

"Then we'll wake up early and I'll help you pack. Just come to bed."

Caleb smiled slightly and crawled into his bed, then got underneath the covers beside Avery.

"No funny business, mister," Avery yawned. "I don't want Danielle to beat the crap out of me."

Caleb snorted quietly and got settled in his bed. His back was resting against Avery's and he could feel her breathing lightly.

"She doesn't have to know that you're over here," he whispered quietly. He quickly clapped his hands together twice and his bedroom light snapped off, dousing the room in a layer of darkness.

"Is she coming with us this time?" Avery asked quietly, leaning backwards a little. Her back was pressed against Caleb's now and he sighed heavily, making Avery roll back forward.

"Nope," was his answer.

Avery couldn't hold back the smile that was spreading across her face. She was thankful that the lights were off and that Caleb couldn't see her, because she knew that he'd be angry for her for having that reaction to that simple answer.

"Stop smiling," he said quietly, nudging her with his foot. Avery let out a quiet giggle and then buried her face into the pillow underneath her head.

"Yes sir," she replied. Caleb rolled his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh as they both fell quiet and slowly drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


	3. Two

The next morning, Caleb and Avery found the tour bus in the parking lot at the town's civic center. The rest of the band was there and Avery walked up to Kyle, who had her bags at his feet. She thanked him for bringing them for her before she shoved it into the storage compartment on the side of the bus. She said hello to the rest of the guys and Angela, Austin's sister, before she clambered onto the bus.

She had spotted Danielle, Caleb's girlfriend, in the parking lot with the rest of the people crowded around the tour bus and Avery didn't want to watch the two say goodbye. She was jealous because she didn't have anyone who would be missing her. Everyone she was close to was going on the tour, except for Angela.

Her parents lived back in her hometown on the outskirts of Chicago. Avery had moved down to Texas for school, and when she dropped out, she decided to stay where she was. She liked the slower-paced atmosphere and the warm weather year round. Well, lows in the mid 40's during the wintertime were amazing compared to the single digits back in Chicago.

She didn't talk to her parents or her brother that often. Communication between Avery and her family was pretty much limited to phone calls or small presents sent in the mail for birthdays and holidays. She didn't mind it much. She had a few second families in Texas. When she befriended Caleb her freshman year in college, she grew very close to his mother and siblings and she was welcome at their house any time. She was also very close to all the guys in the band. Kyle and Caleb were her closest buddies, but Avery also had Austin and Angela, and their parents. And she was content with that.

Avery took a deep breath as she mounted the top step of the bus. It looked pretty big for the moment. Everything was sparkling clean and organized. That would change in a day or so. She took a mental picture of how things looked. The front lounge was nice. It had a flat screen TV against the wall backing the driver's seat. Kent would most likely hook his Xbox up to it the moment the bus started rolling. There was a mini fridge and a sink, and a small bathroom a little further down the hallway.

Then she spotted them; the bunks. There were twelve of them. twelve tiny, soon to be cluttered, dirty, and smelly bunks.

Avery had been on tour with the guys twice before. She knew she had to choose wisely. Everyone thinks that, _'oh I would love to go on tour with six loud, crazy, obnoxious boys and three of their crew members. It'll be sooo much fun_'.

No.

Most of the time, yes, it is a blast, but the other part of the time, it can be miserable. And when it's miserable, it's nice to have your own space away from the craziness.

Avery chose the bunk nearest the back lounge all the way at the top. That way, she would be away from the noise that would be going on in the front lounge the whole summer. And, she wouldn't have to hear whoever couldn't sleep tossing and turning in their bunk above her. She threw her purse and phone charger into the empty bed, and then went back outside to grab her sheets and pillows out of Kyle's car.

She easily found her black and blue plaid comforter and pillows in the back seat of Kyle's car and slowly started to drag them back to the bus. She almost made it to the door when she was stopped by someone. Her bloodshot eyes and pouty lips made Avery want to cry herself, but she took a deep breath and tried to smile at her.

"Hey Danielle."

The pretty blonde smiled sadly back at her and tucked her short hair behind her ears.

"Can I ask you for a favor, Avery?"

Avery readjusted her grip on her sheets and nodded quickly.

"Will you keep an eye on Caleb for me this summer?"

"Uh, yeah sure Dani," Avery replied, unsure of why she was agreeing to do this. "Why, is everything okay with you guys?"

Danielle shrugged. Avery didn't know her all too well, but she could sense that Danielle was uncomfortable and extremely anxious.

"He's just been really distant with me lately and I'm just nervous about us being apart this time."

Avery sighed heavily. "Don't worry about it Danielle. He's probably just been stressed out about having to tour again so soon after the last one. You guys will be fine. I'll make sure he calls you every day."

That put a smile on her face and it made Avery's stomach drop slightly. He made her so happy and Avery couldn't stand her. She thought she was a horrible person for thinking that, but it was true. Since Caleb and Danielle got together, Avery did not like the girl one bit. But, if she was what Caleb wanted, she should be happy for him.

"Thanks Avery, I owe you one."

And Danielle turned away with a small wave and headed back to her own car, where Caleb was waiting for her to say their last goodbyes.

She could already tell it was going to be a long three months.


	4. Three

"No smoking on the bus, Avery!"

"Kyle. We have been driving for six hours straight. I just suffered through the epic 20 minute battle of Austin and Kent fighting over who gets to play Toad on Mario Kart. You have not stopped moving since we left, and Caleb wont stop whining about his hair beginning to frizz. I'm gonna smoke a cigarette before I kill somebody."

It was only the first day of the tour, and Avery was already beginning to feel stressed out and cooped up in the bus. It was probably because they had been driving for so long and all the guys have been doing since the bus took off was wreaking complete havoc.

Avery flashed Kyle a dangerous smile and the platinum blonde backed away towards the bunks without another word. Caleb scoffed and frowned at what Avery had said about him, but he plopped down on the leather couch next to her and stole a cigarette out of the cardboard carton that rested in her lap.

He propped one of the windows open and the two sat quietly while enjoying their cigarettes. The rest of the bus seemed quiet for the next few minutes until Charlie, the driver, hollered back to the masses.

"We're gonna be stopping in about ten minutes to fill up!"

"Thank God," Avery muttered to herself, tossing her cigarette out the open window.

"Hey Avery?" Caleb asked quietly, tossing his own cigarette out the window. "Will you straighten my hair?"

"Sure," she said lightly. The two got off of the couch and headed towards the bathroom where Caleb plopped himself on the toilet seat. Avery began attacking his bright red locks with her hair straightener.

"So are you completely stoked to get this tour started yet?!" Caleb asked excitedly, bouncing up and down a few times. Avery let a quiet laugh escape from her lips.

"I am completely stoked to get off of this bus already, yes."

Caleb rolled his eyes and looked forward into the mirror on the opposite wall. He watched closely as Avery played with his hair and fixed it the way he liked it. He closed his eyes after a few seconds and smiled to himself. He always loved it when someone played with his hair. Even if she was just straightening it, he loved it. It felt comforting and calming. He never said anything to anyone, but Avery was the only one who could style his hair just the way he wanted it.

The bus came to a stop a few minutes later and Avery let out a loud cheer as she bounded down the stairs to get outside.

"Yay!" she hollered, kneeling on the concrete underneath her and placing her palms on the ground. She was happy to not be on the moving tour bus and was grateful to be on some steady ground.

The rest of the guys stumbled off the bus behind her and Kyle nudged her in the butt with his foot.

She quickly scrambled to her feet and playfully punched him in the stomach.

"Avery, will you buy me an iced tea please?" Kyle whined, slapping her hand.

"Hand over the money and it's done," she retorted, beckoning for his cash.

He smiled happily and handed her a five dollar bill and she walked off into the convenient store of the gas station. Almost everyone else milled about outside of the bus for a while, while Charlie went about filling the tank with gas and checking the tires and such.

Austin zoomed past Avery on his infamous scooter and hollered when another tour bus pulled into the gas station lot next to them. Avery glanced at the bus for a second before she followed Austin into the store. He pushed himself down a few isles of the snack food, grabbing as much as he could while still navigating through the shelves on his scooter. Avery walked to the back wall of the store and scanned over the beverages in the coolers.

The bell on the door jingled and slammed shut as Avery picked out Kyle's iced tea. A split second later, she heard an unbearable crashing noise and a loud shout came from Austin. He had fallen to the ground, taking a bunch of Pringles containers and chip bags with him.

Trying not to laugh and panic at the same time, Avery went to view the destruction, but was stopped as she almost ran into a tall, gangly boy who was hauling ass out of the store with Austin's scooter slung over his shoulder. Avery quickly stepped aside as the boy rushed past her and the store owner ran over and began yelling at Austin.

Out of curiosity and confusion, Avery placed the iced tea down on the counter and walked outside just in time to catch the thief riding circles in the parking lot on Austin's scooter.

"Prank War Round Two, bitches!" he shouted. Then he screeched at the top of his lungs making some weird bird screeching noise and high-tailed it to the other tour bus, scooter in tow. The rest of the guys just stood there watching, some of their mouths hanging open and laughs escaping their lips.

Before Avery could say anything to anyone, Austin stormed out of the convenient store and stomped over to the other tour bus.

"I'll get my scooter back you asshat!" he yelled, banging on the side of the bus. The blinds to one of the windows flew open and four faces appeared in the window a second later. All four of them wore an identical mischievous smile and Austin gave them all the middle finger before the bus began to drive away.

"Those little shits," he muttered, walking back to their tour bus.

Dumbfounded, Avery followed behind him and got on the bus as Charlie and Robbie, their tour manager, rounded everyone else up.

"You totally got owned, Austin!" Jonathan yelled from his bunk. "I'm thinking we need to have a pow-wow later to plan out some revenge, yeah?"

Austin nodded in agreement and plopped back down in front of the Xbox with Kent, who had not moved since the bus stopped.

"Who was that?" Avery asked, looking towards Austin.

"The douche bags also known as members of All Time Low," Austin grumbled.

Caleb laughed and elbowed Avery in the stomach.

"They're not really douche bags," he admitted. "We just have this ongoing prank war with them since the last tour."

"I see. And this is going to be going on all summer long?"

"Mhm," he replied, fixated on his cell phone. He was probably texting Danielle. Avery rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Kyle, who was heading towards her with a smile.

"Where's my iced tea, girlfraaand?"

Avery laughed and threw Kyle's five dollar bill back at him. "Sorry girlfraaand, I kind of got distracted."

Kyle stuck out his lower lip and sat down at Avery's feet on the floor. Everyone began talking and filling Avery in on what had happened with the whole prank war thing on their previous tour. Avery was beginning to worry that she would be roped into round two of the prank war, but she had also promised Austin that she would help him get his scooter back.


End file.
